The present invention relates to a rail system.
Rail systems of the type present here are used in the industry for the precise movement of large machines or parts of machines, such as crane installations, drums of rotary printing machines or the like, especially however for transporting large and heavy installation parts from one manufacturing station to another. For example, for the manufacture of automobiles, so-called sliding skid systems are used, which are platforms, which run on such rail systems. Further examples are the gondolas of wind turbines, which weigh several tons, but can be moved relatively easily with the help of such assembly platforms.
Such a rail system is known, for example, from the German patent DE 4318 383 B4 of the Applicant. It comprises a carrier profile, which has a section that is open at the top and, in most cases, is embedded in the underground. A round rail, which can absorb heavy loads, is inserted in the carrier profile. The rail is fixed on both sides by clamping profiles, which are inserted into lateral spaces between the rail and the side walls of the carrier profile and partially overlap the rail. A free angular region, on which the castors of a vehicle can roll, remains on the upper side of the rail.
A significant advantage of this system consists therein that the whole of the rail guiding system is embedded flush in the floor and there are no protruding edges. Vehicles with small or hard wheels can drive over the rail without problems. Moreover, there are no steep vertical edges or deep crannies, in which dirt can collect.
The round rail can simply be exchanged in that, to begin with, the clamping profiles on either side of the rail can be loosened and removed, so that the rail is free. For the rail system which is known from DE 43 18 383 B4, the clamping profiles are locked into the carrier profiles and therefore not easily loosened. Furthermore, it is a problem to apply a defined clamping force on the rail, because this cannot be achieved practically by the locking connection. Even if loads, which act on the running surface from above, are introduced well into the carrier profile from above, the previous rail system does not offer sufficient resistance to forces for lifting the rail out of its anchorage. These forces arise because the wheel rolls away.